bisphosphonate,. good morning. out of the deep, the blowout preventer that should have prevented the biggest oil spill in u.s. history is raised from beneath the gulf. now investigators can finally get an up close look at why it failed. hitting the trail, with congressional democrats facing tough challenges in the upcoming mid term elections they've call on the white house for reinforcements. it's not the president they're asking for. and the heiress, a half billion dollar fortune, a reclusive elderly woman who hasn't been seen out in public for decades and questions about what's happening to all that money. today, sunday, september 5th, money. today, sunday, september 5th, 2010. captions paid for by nbc-universal television from nbc news, this is

"today," with lester holt and jenna wolfe, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. good sunday morning, everyone. welcome to "today." i'm lester holt. >> i'm jenna wolfe. we didn't just skirt hurricane earl here in new york city. it has been one of the most beautiful weekends we've had to date. >> yeah. in our case the storm mustered in good weather. >> great weather. >> we should have that nonstorm -- storm more often. >> people in canada wo >> of course, people in canada will agree, they got a hit yesterday, tropical storm. >> nova scotia, yeah. >> tell you what is happening down in the gulf of mexico. there has been a big job down where crews have raised that massive blowout preventer from the deep. this is what it looks like, all the talk has been about these months, five-story tall, 300-ton piece of machinery it is now on a rig headed to a nasa facility, engineers will get their first closeup look and try to figure out why it didn't do its job,

didn't seal the oil like it was supposed to. the latest on the investigation, a live report from one of the ships over the site. >> okay. also, it is no secret that midterm elections could be a challenge for incumbents, especially those on the democratic side of the aisle. now, reports are swirling that much-needed help on the campaign trail could be on its way from the white house, from the first lady. find out why it is michelle obama and not the president that congressional democrats want at their side, coming up. then in our next half hour two big legal battles over two big fortunes, the first involves a reclusive and mysterious heiress to a half-billion fortune. she is 104 years old, hasn't been seen in public for decades and now big questions surrounding what's happening to her money. >> we are going to hear about

what has both parties crying foul later on. first, let's talk more about the big news from the gulf of mexico, as crews finally brought that failed blowout preventer to the surface. nbc news chief environmental affairs correspondent, anne thompson is live in the gulf. she joins us by phone on board the "q 4,000" the vessel where the blowout preventer is being kept. anne, good morning. >> good morning, lester n fact, i talk to you, i am looking at the massive failed blowout preventer. it sits on the drill floor of the helix q 4,000 vessel this morning it took almost three hours last night from when we first saw the first signs of yellow metal breakthrough the water's surface to get it on this vessel. the blowout preventer came up through what's called the moon pool. and basically that is a giant hole that's created in this vessel when they open the drill floor and push it back. and then they raise this 1 million-pound structure. fbi evidence response teams

filmed the rising and then immediately went to work on gathering evidence. there's also a team of bp lawyers here which watched the blowout preventer come up. the 1-million pound structure sits on a stump this morning. it is secured by four mammoth screws. it was hoisted up a mile from the top of the macondo well a journey that took some 32 hours in all from sea floor to drill deck. lester? >> you talk about fbi. you talk about lawyers. they are obviously a huge piece of evidence here. what happens to this blowout preventer once they get it on land, anne? >> reporter: les, they are going to move the q 4,000 from the leak site to shallower water and put the blowout preventer on a barge and it will go to the nasa facility in new orleans, where it will be gone over extraordinarily carefully because this could be the key piece of evidence as to why the biggest environmental disaster in this country ever happened.

because the blowout preventer was supposed to stop any oil spill and it didn't and they haven't been able to figure out y. essentially, it was the emergency break on the macondo well that failed and one of the things investigators want to know, was it at nerd some way that made it malfunction? why did it malfunction? those are questions they are going to start to answer and they can only answer once they get their hands on the b.o.p. >> safe travels, see you then. thanks. now here is jenna. >> thanks. now to politics. with democrats facing a big challenge in the upcoming midterm elections, the party has called in reinforcements from the white house but not the person you might expect. nbc's mike viqueira is in washington with more, mike. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, jenna. first lady michelle obama has spent the first year and a half for a champion for nonpartisan

causes while largely staying out of politics. midterm elections months away and democrats in big trouble, all that is about to change. >> may god bless this ship and all who sail in her. >> reporter: when it comes to poll ratings, michelle obama truly is the president's better half. she has consistently remained more popular in her husband, in part, by staying above the partisan fray and taking up nonpartisan causes as a champion, for military families and a leader in the fight against childhood obesity. but now, mrs. obama is set to raise her political profile. facing the prospect of massive losses in november, congressional democrats have issued a distress call, send us michelle. at first, their pleas were rebuffed but with prospects worse by the day, they asked again this time the answer was yes. details are still up in the air but aides stress, even on the political hustings, mrs. obama will not go on the attack.

>> the risk is that she could be seen as polar rising and partisan and that could hurt her because she has tried to hard to remain above the fray in at vo kating for her causes so she doesn't want to get into the campaign muck. >> reporter: whether her edge is soft or hard mrs. obama is not immune to criticism. she took hits for her trip with daughter sasha to a spanish resort this summer. even a series of cultural events in the white house east room, including a new dance series to begin this week, have been labeled elitist by republicans. but this fall, a popular mrs. obama will add to her two roles of mother and advocate with a third. >> with your help and unwavering support. >> reporter: political campaigner. >> the american people have looked at her and they like her a great deal. in fact, you know, my guess is the president would swap favorable ratings with his wife in a heartbeat. >> reporter: and lester, experts

say don't expect to see michelle obama being sent to those red states or red districts, but instead to blue districts or swing districts, where democrats so far they've not been enthusiastic about the midterms and appearance by michelle obama could change all that and get them out to the polls. lester? >> mike viqueira, thanks. here with more is david gregory, moderator of "meet the press." good morning to you. >> good morning, lester. >> let me get your thoughts how the white house is going to walk this pretty narrow tightrope here with how to use the first lady. how do you suppose they'll do this and still allow her to maintain somewhat of a bipartisan image? >> well, i think they'll do it carefully, as mike suggested, and use her in districts where she can make a real difference. i think that will be an important piece for her as well. she's not going to come in with an overly politicized message. i think she's going to stress and try to reinforce some of the things that she's been working on. this would be a popular surrogate making the case for the democratic agenda and to try to point out the contrast. i don't know that she brings anything specific, other than her popularity. that's something that democrats

could use right now. >> it's hard to believe that many of the democrats running for office wouldn't want the president himself there. what's the problem there? >> let's remember, you go back two election cycles. democrats picked up seats that were either republican-held or more conservative districts. and right now, in an environment where republicans are surging and where there's such anti-washington sentiment around the country, the president's not going to be able to help. especially in more conservative areas where he profited in the past politically, because of the swing of independent voters, that has now swung against him. that's why he's got to be used in places like california where senator boxer could use him to turn out that democratic vote. >> he's going to be on the road this week, in cleveland and milwaukee. he has his first press conference in months on friday. all the talk about the economy. after the promise of a summer of recovery really hasn't happened, what's his message? what's the next act here in trying to fix this economy? >> well, it's going to be difficult.

he'll have some specifics that he'll put out there this week as being reported this morning, will push for some tax breaks for corporations for more research and developments. some the corporations should like. the question is whether the republicans want to hand him that legislative victory before the november elections. i think he's going to continue to make the case the hole was so big in the economy he requires a little more time to pull it out and make the case things are slowly improving. i mean, i think there's got to be a feeling that doesn't appear to be there yet that things are getting better kind of in the american psyche, where the president can also say and the choice here, the contrast with republicans, is they're not going to take you in a better direction. >> all right. david gregory, thanks very much. >> thanks, lester. and now time to get a check of the morning's other top stories. we turn to craig melvin of wrc at the news desk. good morning. >> good morning to you, lester, good morning to you as well, everyone. craigslist has apparently closed the adult services section of its website. it was replaced saturday by a black and white censored logo.

the popular website seems to have surrendered to pressure from 17 state attorneys general. they claim there are not enough protections to bar illegal prostitution. the scrutiny came last month after the jailhouse suicide of a former medical student charged in the killing of a masseuse he met through craigslist. in new zealand, people are dealing with aftershocks following the 7.1 earthquake. engineering teams are out all over christchurch, surveying the smashed buildings, cracked roads and twisted rail lines as well. one geologist says the quake ripped a new fault line in the earth's surface. jetblue says flight attendant stephen slater no longer works there. slater, of course, captured the nation's attention last month when he went on a tirade and jumped down the plane's emergency chute. at that time, he was suspended, pending the outcome of an investigation. an airline memo told employees the whole incident did not take into account the harm that could be caused by emergency slides which are deployed with a potentially deadly amount of force. and finally, this morning,

the national buffalo wing festival is being held this weekend in the birthplace of this favorite food, buffalo, new york, of course. that's where the wing lovers showed up in droves and there he is, competitive eater, joey "the jaws" chestnut, competed against five-member teams to see who could eat the most wings in seven minutes. chestnut came in second. he ate just under three pounds. the event fittingly sponsored by pepto-bismol. and we should know again, one guy taking on five guys, finishes second. >> yeah. we remember joey just a few months ago. he's the famous hot dog eater over here at coney island. thanks very much. >> thank you. >> i'm sorry. >> thank you. >> it's early and gross. i'm just going to be honest with you. the weather channel's scott williams is here with a check of the weather. scott, good morning. >> good morning, jenna and lester. the winds were very fierce there

in buffalo, so the aromas were strong of the wings as well. the remnants of gaston right now, we are watching it. it could reform over the next 48 hours. it's still to the east of the leeward islands moving westward at 10 miles per hour. we'll watch that. in the meantime, as we look at your sunday forecast here, a continued risk of some rip currents up and down the eastern seaboard in the wake of earl. 80 degrees for your high temperature new york city, 83 in atlanta, dallas about 94 degrees, and we'll see temperature >>ha sppyunday to you. craig herrera here. got some 50s out there, mainly clear this morning to start. only some passes of fog along the coast and peninsula. and highs back in the 80s and 90s, warmer than yesterday. and at the beaches in the mid to upper 60s. beautiful day. and this is just the beginning of what is to come. we are going to warm up a bit more as we go in through the day tomorrow. tomorrow being the warmest day, just in time for labor day. and is then after that, we cool off quite a bit, especially on wednesday. have a great day. >> and that's your latest weather.

jenna? >> scott thanks. >> and that's your latest weather. jenna? >> scott, thanks. up next on "today," even with the unemployment rate raising slightly, there are still jobs out there. where are they? we're going to tell you right after this. [ woman #4 ] the guilt. [ man ] my sleep just isn't right. [ woman #5 ] i'm so anxious. [ man #2 ] i need to focus. [ female announcer ] depression hurts. cymbalta can help with many symptoms of depression. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens, you have unusual changes in behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing of the skin or eyes. talk with your doctor about your medicines, including those for migraine, or if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles,

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so he can make the most of every day. long live your buddy. long live your dog. purina fit & trim. the latest job numbers are a reminder of just how many people are still out of work, and with the official end of summer approaching this week, the time is right to get your job search back in high gear. so where should you be looking in here to talk about all of that and more is career expert nicole williams. good morning. >> good morning to you. >> so, the end of summer is here, unfortunately. what does that mean for the job market? >> generally, it tends to trend up around this time of year, just like you get that new back-to-school feeling you get that new back-to-work feeling, vacation is starting to wind down, people are back to work and they want to perform for their end of year numbers. they've got their last quarter goals. >> the government has been pumping a lot of money into reforming the health care system. does that particularly translate to more jobs?

>> absolutely. we're looking at 3.2 new jobs created and of the top 20 jobs growing, ten of those actually reside within the health care industry. so yes, absolutely, the way to go. >> we have become easily over the last couple years, a society that cannot live without technology. everything is computer. computer this, computer that. should that be one place people should focus their attention in. >> absolutely. as far as occupations are concerned, computer technology -- >> that's not going away? >> it's to the going away. yeah, 800,000 new jobs. i think, too, jenna to think about, it's not only just the software engineers which is where you're seeing the increase, but all of us have to be technically conversant to be competiti competitive. >> right? >> today's work place. so yes technology. >> what are the other hot industries? >> wine. >> sign me up. >> hello. anything green. clean energy is another big, obviously, industry because consumers are increasing their spending in that category. job placement is another area

where we're seeing increases. office administration, especially where, you know, consumer support services, definitely an increase there. >> who's hiring is more? is it more the bigger companies or the smaller companies? >> a lot of large companies still have hiring freezes on. smaller companies are more flexible. they can hire more quickly. they're looking for people who have a multitude of skillsets so they can put one person into a job that could be doing lots of different things at the same time. >> it's so hard for people to stand out amongst all the competition, but i mean, do you have any advice on how you can put yourself at the forefront of that long line? >> when the marketplace is flush with jobs you can talk about strategy and i think and i've got a lot of ideas. in a market place like this you have to talk about results. what can you do starting job one. you're an executer, someone who can deliver, and that's going to be the person who ultimately gets hired. regardless of the skillset per industry, be the person who can get the job done and you will

get the job. >> great. nicole williams, thank you so much. >> appreciate it. >> we'll be right back.

still to come on "today" a reclusive elderly heiress and questions who have their hands in her half billion dollar foreup. >> some are calling it the divorce of the century. hear why one couple's split is major league. first, these messages. look at all this stuff for coffee. oh there's tons. french presses, expresso tampers, filters. it can get really complicated. not nearly as complicated as shipping it, though. i mean shipping is a hassle. not with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. that is easy. best news i've heard all day! i'm soooo amped! i mean not amped. excited. well, sort of amped.

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but what were the results? fact: brown promised to improve schools. but the drop out rate increased 50%, and the state had to take over the schools. fact: the city controller found employees paid for 22,000 hours... they never worked. fact: brown promised to cut crime. but murders doubled, making oakland the 4th most dangerous city in america. jerry brown. he just can't deliver the results california needs now.

good morning to you. a live look at san jose on a mild start to this sunday before labor day. keynote continues. i'm kris sanchez here with craig herrera with a look at the forecast. it's going to be nice and toasty. >> absolutely today and more so tomorrow, kris. today and tomorrow two warmest days, people out enjoying the sunshine. not a whole lot of fog this morning. patchy fog along the coast from san francisco through sunnily veil. but most of that is in through the hills and as we go through 10:00, most of it is gone. 44 in santa rosa, not a lot of cloud cover to track the heat in. from san rafael to sonoma, lots

of 50s for the rest of the bay at or about bay area. sunshine today and patchy fog along the coast. not a whole lot. with this ridge in place, the winds are coming out of the north today, so we're going to clear out early and warming up more and as this ridge gets stronger and moves to the east tomorrow. tomorrow we actually warm up with the offshore winds coming through, so the winds tomorrow become more northeasterly, and at that point we see more 90s. and at the beaches, we're in the 70s tomorrow. so very nice weekend way -- a way to end to this weekend. 87, san jose. kris, by wednesday, we warm up quite a bit. >> thank you very much, craig. thousands of conservative christians are desending on the state capitol to pray for a religious revival in america. the founder of call could conscious organized it

yesterday. tens of thousands of people said they would show. our reporter on the ground said there was 5 to 8,000 at its peak. >> for people, it's about stopping abortion. >> what we're doing today is praying and believing that people will come back to their god. >> participants oppose abortions, gay marriage, pornography, prostitution, and the way from organized religion. the 49ers have the day off. wednesday, the commission will go over necessary zoning changes for the stadium. taxpayers, you might remember, will pony up $114 million of the cost. the commission will decide whether or not to approve the stadium's design. critics argue that the massive 68,000-seat stadium will not leave enough room for other developments in the area. one day after a labor day

barbec barbecue, the cost of alcohol could go up. on tuesday, a board of supervisors will vote on a plan that would slap a fee on alcohol. the idea is to cover $17 million in unreimbursed health care costs related to alcohol abuse. the fee would apply to wholesalers who sell alcohol in san francisco. but critics say once the cross is passed across the bar, it will add 5 cents a drink for consumers. opponents say they will sue if the board approves that fee. coming up at 7:00 on the bay area sunday, unraveling a murder mystery in the east bay. crews continue to search for a landfill for a missing man.

morning, september 5th, 2010. a great crowd joining us outside on a warm and beautiful holiday weekend here on the plaza. outside studio 1a i'm jenna wolfe along with lester holt. nice size crowd. it is a beautiful morning. it's crisp, i kind of feel the first taste of fall. >> you were complaining about the chill. >> a little bit. that was off camera. >> okay. >> not really on camera. still to come in this half hour, the strange battle of one elderly woman's half a billion dollar fortune. >> she's 104 years old, a recluse, owns mansions on both coasts, worth millions. who controls all the money? we'll tell you about the criminal investigation under way, trying to get to the bottom of that very question. >> and we're also talking about

another legal tug of war. this one a major league divorce literally. normally you hear about divorcing couples fighting over who gets the house and who gets the car. how about who gets the baseball team, the major league baseball team. more on the drama surrounding one of baseball's most popular teams, the los angeles dodgers, in just a little bit. >> we're going to try to clean up our act and help you clean up your act, all the little things from your tv, your dvd player, your watches, wallets, cars, everything that gathers a little dirt, dust and grime, we're going to help you unleash your inner clean freak and show you the right way to keep those tricky to and expensive belongings looking nice and new. are you like me, did you wake up and think to yourself i wonder what the best brownie mixings are? >> that is so bizarre. >> i know. i did the exact same thing. not a bad way to start the morning. we're going to have a taste test of the best brownie mixes and see which ones top the list, straight ahead. not normally something i would want to run and be a part of. i'm kind of excited.

>> i'm way into it. >> first, another check of the weather, the weather channel's scott williams is here. hey, scott. >> good morning, lester and jenna. certainly great conditions here in new york city on this labor day weekend. the weather cool and crisp and we have ladies here from cleveland. cleveland girls watch the u.s. open. tell us your name. >> katie. >> cindy. >> deborah. >> do you all play tennis? >> we do. >> great tennis weather in new york city and across the nation. 76 degrees for your high temperature in boston, 80 new york city, in the wake of earl still dealing with some rip currents and hot conditions as we move na parts of the southwest. for your labor day, fairly quiet, hot along the gulf coast. a few scattered showers and storms as we move in and around the sunshine state and also around houston and say new orleans, and watching for some showers in the upper midwest and a threat for some severe weather. that's a look at the weather happenin gorgeous day around the bay area. good morning, i'm craig herrera live at the golden gate bridge

no at not a whole lot of fog, just a little bit, mist. 54 degrees in san francisco right now. 40s in the north end of the bay, and patches of fog, so not widespread like yesterday. and what we do have is clear. soon. so highs into the 80s and some 90s today. along the coast, closer to 70 degrees and we warm up more for your labor day. after that, we'll cool off a bit. >> and for the latest weather 24 hours a day always logon to weather.com and these ladies are from, yes, the thumb of michigan. what's your name? >> ann. >> all right. have a great labor day weekend. lester, back to you. >> scott, thanks very much. now to the growing questions about a wealthy heiress and her massive fortune at 104 years old, huguette clark is lying in a hospital bed and the two men handling her fortune are under investigation. the question is whether they're mishandling her funds. for the first time the woman's family is stepping into the fight. nbc's rosen tells us more. >> reporter: who wouldn't be happy with just one mansion,

huguette clark owns three. all perfectly manicured, all sit empty. this one in santa barbara hugs the california coast. its value over $100 million. her estate in connecticut worth over $20 million. it's empty. huguette clark also owns the largest apartment on new york's fifth avenue, 42 rooms, worth over $100 million. it's empty too. according to msnbc.com, clark hasn't seen any of them in over 20 years. in fact, she's been living in seclusion here, inside a manhattan hospital room, surrounded by her french doll collection. clark's lifestyle is so miss steers you, this is the last known picture ever taken of her, in 1930. today at 104 years old, huguette clark's personal worth is an estimated half a billion dollars. >> what we had was a feature story about an elderly woman with a lot of money and mysterious empty mansions, but now we have an investigation. >> reporter: a criminal

investigation into these two men, huguette clark's gatekeepers and closest advisers, her lawyer wallace bock and her accountant. according to msnbc.com bock quietly arranged to sell clark's rare violin for $6 million. and her painting for $23.5 million. now the website reports, the lawyer and the accountant are trying to sell her connecticut estate for $24 million. so where's the money going? >> what we have here is a kindly woman, who maybe she doesn't have all the information about what's been done with her money. >> reporter: since huguette clark never had any children, no apparent heirs these two men reportedly control everything. on friday clark's nieces and nephews went to court, filing this petition against bock and gamsher, saying they've committed acts of mismanagement and dishonesty, requesting a restrange order to keep them away from huguette clark's money.

cynthia worked for wallace bock and spoke last week to bob dotson. >> he would write a check from her account in his name, deposit it or cash it. >> how much money? >> millions. it's always millions. always. >> reporter: bock's spokesman tells nbc news he continues to act in the best interest of miss clark. any allegations of a contrary is without support and gamsher's lawyer told us he acted professionally and diligently. it is unfortunate and questionable that mrs. clark's relatives are ignoring her decision to live a private life. in the new court papers, her relatives say her mental abilities are uncertain and they're asking the court for an independent guardian to handle her massive estate. a fortune she inherited from her father a former copper magnet, with her mansions empty and managers under investigation, huguette clark remains hold up in a hospital room, her wealth in the hands of a judge. for "today," rosen, nbc news,

new york. and now here's jenna. >> lester, thanks. now to los angeles, where a high-profile divorce is under way. it's unfolding with all the drama of a hollywood script. while you may not recognize the couple's names you're probably familiar with what they're fighting over. here's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: frank and jamie mccourt have said little publicly but are at the center of a hollywood soap opera. millions of dollars are at stake, fabulous mansions are on the line. ♪ breaking up is hard to do >> reporter: and one of major league baseball's most storied franchises. >> and it's whacked toteft field. >> reporter: is hanging in the balance. after nearly three decades of marriage, the mccourts have called it quits. and now both have claimed ownership of the los angeles dodgers. a team not in position to make the playoffs. >> this is a beloved institution in los angeles and they've diminished it. >> reporter: the public drama started to unfold when frank fired his estrange wife as ceo of the dodgers in 2009.

he also accused jamie of infidelity, said she slept with one of their employees, her personal driver, jamie denied the allegations. frank mccourt alleges his wife never really cared about the dodgers and says she only referred to herself as an owner when the marriage was on the rocks. frank mccourt says his wife signed an agreement in 2004 making him the team's sole owner. a claim jamie's lawyer disputes. >> the assets that they built up over the 30 years belong to both of them. the dodgers were indisputebly titled in frank's name. >> reporter: the trial revealed the boys in blue are swimming in red. on the stand, frank mccourt says he took out a $60 million loan on land around dodger stadium to help pay for the couple's seven luxurious homes. >> have all of these houses and they're living on borrowed money and they can't go after the better players. >> reporter: the team won't get any better this year, but court proceedings will likely heat up

when jamie mccourt takes the stand later this month. a divorce playing out in true hollywood style. for "today," my goal almaguer, nbc los angeles. here with more insight is susan, former prosecutor and nbc legal analyst. good morning. >> good morning, jenna. >> at the center of this divorce battle is who claims stake to the los angeles dodgers. now frank mccourt testified already and he said that the post nuptial he signed gave him sole rights to the team. she says i don't remember signing this. what's going on here? >> basically there is a postnuptial that supposedly gives frank the dodgers. there's a discrepancy in the postup in. one set of papers gives it solely to frank and the other set of papers leaves that out. if it's left out under california community property law, the dodgers is a 50/50 split to the mccourts evenly. so the judge now has to decide, what, in fact, does this post nup say? is it frank's or is it community

property? >> say the judge says it does go to frank. what happens now to the dodge snersz. >> if it goes to frank, the dodgers is solely frank mccourt's property. >> okay. >> belongs to frank and it's up to frank to either manage it or mismanage it. >> okay. >> however you want to -- >> call that one. >> right. >> if it's community property, and it belongs to both of them, it will be split between them. how do you cash out something like that? >> right. >> is it up for sale? does one of them buy the other one out? they're both very heavily leveraged. the team is heavily leveraged. how do you cash that out? does it just get sold? >> is it possible the judge will decide this goes to jamie mccourt? could she get sole ownership of the game? >> if it's community property it's 50/50. it's not going to be awarded to one over the other. unless there's something completely egregious here like foul or fraud. we're not really talking about that in this case.

>> this a part where it's he said/she said, i had a bigger role in the team and no, i had a bigger role and why it should go to me or you? >> not really. if it's community property and 50/50 split you're more likely describing an equitable distribution state where then it would be, you know, who contributed more to the acquisition or the maintenance of the asset. we're really not talking about that in california. it's either look under the post nup, we meant to say it's frank's, not jamie's or the post dnup is out, community property, it's a 5050 split. how do we split the dodgers? >> what are the legal and financial ramifications with regards to the dodgers or major league baseball if this thing plays itself out? >> pretty ugly i think for the fans to get a behind-the-scenes look at how something as beloved an institution as baseball has turned into such a financial asset to be leveraged and

potentially mismanaged the way we're getting a sneak peek behind the scene. >> especially when a team is being affected and not bringing in new players because all the money that would have gone to new players is being handled over this divorce and everything else they have going on. >> ticket sales get jacked up and the price of memorabilia gets jacked up. it sort of does something to the sport that fans don't necessarily want to see. >> or care to see at all. susan, thank you so much. what a mess that is. up next -- thinking of mess, feeling dirty, from your hd tv to wristwatch and car, the right way to clean your belongings. first, these messages. that's a good one. he card. you go to the shops... i'll meet you at the gate. thanks. please remove all metal objects out of your pockets. with chase freedom you can get a total of 5% cash back. fun money from freedom. that's 5% cash back in quarterly categories and an unlimited 1% cash back everywhere else. and this too. does your card do this? i'm going to need a supervisor over here at gate 4.

sign up for this quarter's bonus today. chase what matters. go to chase.com/freedom. work ♪ ♪ oh, yeah >> this morning on "today's" how to clean it, sometimes it's trickier than basic soap and water when it comes to electronics or accessories. even our cars. >> from the watch on our wrist to the tv that we watch, if you

are not sure how exactly to give it a good, cleaning we have some help for you. >> first up, how to clean your electronics. here to show us how to do safely is christian, associate editor for realsimple.com. let's start off with the tv, the flat screen tv, that gets smudges on them. >> all over them. >> and you don't want to ruin the screen. >> the best way is to do an electrostatic dust cloth and do long horizontal stripes -- >> so they don't get the circular things. >> and you don't put any kind of -- we have windex. >> do that on the outside of tvt not on the screen. >> all right. and then walk over here. because the remote control. fluid on them and grime. >> and hands on them. basically you want to do a disinfectant wipe but ring out all of the moisture so it's not getting into the buttens. >> you don't want any liquid getting down there. >> stubborn grime use alcohol on

a cotton swab. >> a dvd player here. >> basically you want to start with a disk cleaner. they're just -- you put it in, press play and will clean the lens of the disk and then you want to go with compressed air in a can and spray inside and the vents in the back. >> the compressed air, you can pick that up at an office store. >> like office depot or something like that. >> one of the ipod players. >> you want to avoid any kind of liquid on this and go with a lint-free cloth and kind of wipe it down. >> same cloth we used on the tv set here. >> exactly. >> could you use the compressed air. >> compressed air on it too. >> keyboard, certainly the dirtiest thing in my office. >> mine too. flip it over and get any of the crumbs out and then use the rubbing alcohol and swabs again and you can use the compressed air. same thing with the mouse, take it apart, take the ball out, spray it with the air and the wipe. >> if you don't clean. >> it starts ti s sticking on y desk. >> here's jenna.

>> thanks. how to clean your accessories from watches and wallets, sometimes the little items in your life need polishing as well. here is allison, contributing editor to the nest.com. good morning. >> thank you. >> let's dive in and start with watches. even if they're waterproof you still have to be careful. >> no matter what the manufacturer says don't submerge the face. >> okay. >> if you can remove the band, great. if not apply rubbing alcohol, the soft bristol brush, clean in between the links. >> that's it. >> easy. let's move on. wallets. i've cleaned out my purse, but i never thought to even clean my purse itself or wallet do you have to be careful with thel theleter? >> leather attracts dust dustp the big part is remove the dust. at the net.com swiffer dry wipes gets the dust off. take moist cloth, saddle soap and dry it to get that luster back. >> and you have men's wallets hooefr here. wouldn't you love to see a guy polishing.

don't feel like that's going to happen either. glasses, you take a pair of glasses and see this and you see them going like this. it smears and that's so bad. what do you recommend? >> for a quick clean use an optical wipe. if it has makeup or oil from your skin, you want to take a few drops of dish washing soap. >> okay. >> clean it off, rinse it under water. >> what do you use your hand or something? >> just your fingers. rub it in, rinse it under water. when it repels water you know it's clean. >> great. >> i always work -- i'm curious about the head bands and scrunch chis, do you just throw them away or wash them? >> you can absolutely wash them. what you want to use is what you wash your hair with. >> okay. >> take a warm bowl, a little bit of shampoo, get a nice lather going and wash it out. you can just air dry it overnight. >> okay. all of these things could be cleaned, don't throw anything away. >> absolutely. just with household items. >> great information. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> once again, let's send it back to lester. >> jenna, thanks. how to clean your car, going to

the car wash can be expensive, doing it yourself takes extra care. here to show us how, the dos and don'ts is jake fisher, senior automotive engineer for the consumer reports test center. good morning, great to have you here. >> good morning. >> i take my car in after it snows. however should we really wash our cars? >> if you're worried about your car the best advice do it once a week. even in snow it's like sure, you know, the car like this turns white, you know with all the salt. >> looks bad. >> and corrosive. but even in spring there's the tree sap, bird droppings, all that stuff could go and really damage your paint. so once a week you could really keep that car clean. >> i always wonder, do you need to buy this special car wash or can you use any soap? >> actually, you do need to get the special car wash. because what -- if you get the dish washing stuff, look at what's on a dish, the dish, you know, it's not painted, not waxed. you take your car and put it in the dishwasher it's corrosive to the paint and wax. get a nice car wash.

this will be a little more gentle, won't take off the paint. >> do you have any ideas when you get the bird droppings or sap or something that is difficult to get out? >> absolutely. this car, i know it's a few bird droppings on it already, but not sit there and scrub it. you'll scrub off the wax and paint too. so there's products available, there's bug and tar removers and this stuff is formulated to just bring off that and -- but keep your paint intact. >> what about the wheels and undercarriage area? >> that could get tough with a lot of brake dust. it's like don't use the same scrub brush using on your wheels to use on the paint because you will scratch up your paint. there are wheel cleaners that are available. they just concentrate on getting that off. make sure if you're getting wheel cleaner, it says all wheel cleaner or clear coat. if you get the wrong kind it can take the clear coat off your wheels. >> what's the best way to go about actually washing the car? >> sure. when you wash your car, first of all, you don't want it too hot. the body is hot it's going to

want to dry quick, all your soap will be dried on. >> first thing in the morning is the time to do it. >> perfect time. when you wash start at the top, soft sponge like this. you don't want to go in sirc klgs. that could cause swirl marks. the wax on, wax off stuff, that's for wax, not washing the car. you want to go long, long ways like this. when you go to dry the car -- >> do you air dry it or use a rag? >> you actually want to dry it yourself. if you let it dry itself or drive around the block, you'll wind up with marks on the car from the soap. so get something nice and soft. soft like a shammy like that. pat it. >> jake fisher, good to have you here. thanks very much. appreciate it. >> you're welcome. >> just ahead on "today," what are the best brownie mixes you can buy? find out after these messages. [ woman ] nine iron, it's almost tee-time...

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♪ we like to have brownies for breakfast. ♪ we like to have >> this morning on today's taste test, brownie mixes, modern day convenience that makes life that much sweeter but with so many options, a stroll down the baking aisles of your supermarket will have your head spinning. so, here to help us pick the best tasting mix, is jack bishop, host of "america's test kitchen." good morning. >> good morning, jenna. >> i know that mixes have come such a long way in the past couple years. is it safe to say the more expensive the brownie mix the better the brownie? >> sometimes. you can spend about two dollars for your basic supermarket mix and we found mixes that cost as much as $9. the $9 mix was pretty spectacular but not all of the expensive mixes were great. >> i say we dig right in. the first one is ghirardelli. >> this is our favorite. got samples here. i'm going to let you taste while

i talk. this one has got two kinds of cocoa, a chocolate syrup package for some extra chocolate flavor and it's not too sweet. classic mix is often too sweet. so it's got that nice chew. a lot of the mixes have that sort of box chew. >> this is really good. all right. let's move along now to barefoot contessa's brand. >> the $9 mix. >> i understand this is made with butter instead of oil. >> we followed the package instructions. usually oil, eggs and water. ina doesn't make brownies with oil. she uses butter. this has the four kinds of chocolate. $9 mix. our second place finish. >> okay. >> this is the lowest sugar, it's got sort of the bittersweet chocolate flavor. kind of what we saw a grownup brownie. >> i see what you're saying. >> it has bitter notes. some thought it was too bitter and wanted it a little sweeter. for the people who have more kid-like palette, this didn't quite work for them. >> what's next with these two here? >> this is pillsbury, your

classic, been in the supermarket for decades, our third place. this is okay. this has two sources of chocolate, two kinds of cocoa. it's more sweet. i'm going to make you have a taste here. >> you're killing me here. >> it's a small bite. it's probably not the way you want to start your day, but -- >> okay. >> this has got -- you're eating. i think they're a little soggy. >> a little soggy. i don't mind the texture. not as chocolatey as the other two. >> it's mostly sugar. this last one, is the betty crocker, it was fourth place. but i think this one has the problem that a lot of the mixes have. >> it tastes like it's a brownie mix, right? >> a fake, almost like chemical flavor. i've solds they well. you're excited to try these, no doubt. >> perfect. >> here we go. >> too sweet but also has a sort of arroma and flavor that doesnt seem like your mother's brownies. >> and you can taste it kind of came from a mix. >> better than some of the other boxes but it was our fourth

choice. >> not bad. you tried seven and these were the top four. >> and you like your ghirardelli the best? >> yeah. or for grownups the barefoot contessa. >> for children you say this is the way to go, perfect. jack, as always, thank you so much. we will be right back, but first these messages. into the gulf for weeks,owed but it's just the beginning of our work. i'm iris cross. bp has taken for the cln thupn lfgu e i i'm iris cross. an atthlunc isepdekeyog foinin.u rmedd my job is to listen to the shrimpers and fishermen, hotel and restaurant workers and find ways to help. i was born in new orleans. my family still lives here. bp is gonna be here until the oil is gone and the people and businesses are back to normal... until we make this right.

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let's check back with david gregory in washington to find out what's coming up on "meet the press." david? >> good morning, lester. coming up it is labor day weekend, the official kickoff to their yees' mid term election. joining me republican senator from south carolina lindsay graham who returned from afghanistan. and the man behind barack obama's successful bid for the white house in 2008, david plouffe and our round table will preview some of the big races of the fall.

all coming up this morning on "meet the press." >> we'll see you then. >> scott williams, craig melvin, thank you for being here. >> i'll see you tonight on [ male announcer ] when meg whitman arrived at ebay, they had 30 people and an idea. meg's job was to make it happen. it took leadership. focus. and the ability to bring people together. meg whitman delivered. named one of america's best ceo's by harvard business review, she grew ebay 15,000 strong and made small business dreams come true. now meg has a plan to create jobs.